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John 15:1-17

The Vine and the Branches

 ¹“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes^[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

   ⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
   ⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other."

             For my sister's birthday a few weeks ago she received thirteen beautiful red roses. They sat in a vase on our kitchen table for a week. After a few days, the natural beauty in her roses began to fade as they wilted and turned brown. They were dying because they were cut off of the rosebush. That is the same thing that will happen to us if we try to survive disconnected from Jesus. We cannot bear fruit away from the vine the same way that my sister's roses died away from the bush. But if we stay connected to Jesus and bear fruit in his name, God will prune us and help us so we can grow even more in His glory.

             But how do we stay connected? How do we remain in Jesus' love? Keep his commands and His joy will be our joy. Love one another with His love. Put others before yourself like Jesus showed us so perfectly when he died on the cross for us. Share the good news with everyone!! Jesus has chosen you to bear eternal fruit in His name and in His glory.

Love One Another. Keep His Commands. Stay Connected.

Will you live attached to the true vine or will you die away from Him?